soblik



P. SOBLIK. KEYBOARD ATTACHMENT POR PIANOFORTES. No. 524,959.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

(No Model() v Y v 2 sheets-sheet 2.

P. SOBLIK. A KEYBOAR'DATTAGHMBNT POR PIANOFORTBS. No. 524,959.

' Patented Aug..21,1894.

- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PAUL SOBLIK, OF MAGDEBURG, GERMANY.

KEYBOARD ATTACHMENT FOR PIANOFORTES.

,SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 524,959, dated August 2l, 1894.

Application led August 9, 1893.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PAUL SOBLIK, pianoforte-maker, a subject of the King of Prussia, residing at 1 Breiteweg, Magdeburg, in the Klngdom of Prussia, German Empire, have invented a certain new and useful'lmproved Keyboard for Attachment to Pianofortes and a System for Notes for Use with the Same, of which the following is a speciiication.

This invention relatesto a new or improved key-board arranged to be attached over the key-board of any existing piano-forte wit-hout 1n any way altering the mechanical construction of the instrument or rendering intermediate mechanism necessary. By the aid of the new or improved key-board it is possible for any one with only very slight practice and knowledge of the piano to learn to play, with the use of the special system of notes, pieces o f music in a shorter time than would be posslble on an ordinary key-board. The mechanism is arranged on a board which in size corresponds to an ordinary key-board, and is attached by means of suitable supports, screws, dac., over the keys of the instrument. The strikers are attached (as described below) to the under side of the board exactly over the various keys and are provided at the top with a press-button. Each button is marked with a letter or number, corresponding to the designations of the system of notes. For an ordinary piece of music, the bass-accompaniment is played with two 1ingers of the left hand,while the melody in the treble is played with one finger of the right hand. According to the special system of notes the octaves of the bass accompaniment are designated by the capitals A to L, the upper corresponding chords by the small letters ato Z. The seven ground-notes in the treble are designated by the numbers 1 to 7 for the whole notes and with numbers and crosses for the half notes.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a piano-forte with the new or improved key-board attached. Fig. 2 represents the system of notes for a piece of music in waltz-time. Fig. 3 is a plan of the apparatus.

Fig. 4 is a side view of the apparatus, the transmitting levers in the rear being left out for the sake of clearness.

Fig. 5 is an under View of the apparatus.

Serial No. 482,778. (No model.)

There are two arrangements to be distinguished in the mechanism of the new chordkey-board. That for the treble consists in the simple connection ot' the keys of the ground notes and half notes with press-buttons, by means of strikers. The button intended for the note a is for instance designated by thevnumber 5. This button is therefore to be brought over key a, and the other buttons will then be in their right positions.

The strikers are made so light and so attached to the board by means ot' elastic arms that they are automatically pressed up by the keys of the piano after being struck. Or springs which act on the strikers to bring about the same effect can also be attached if desired. This latter is especially necessary by the more complicated lever-system of the bass.

The second part of the key-board, that for the bass, contains a number of levers and double levers, corresponding to the number of. octaves and chords. These levers are provided on their under sides each with two strikers lying directly over the keys. To these levers, which lie parallel with the longitudinal axis et the key-board are attached lever arms, at right angles to the same and at their center of gravity, these arms vibrating on light elastic leaf-hinges on the under side of the new board.

The player can for instance pressing the button (Eig. 4) strike the octave designated :n by means of the transmitting levers t, and can by holding the same down make it resound, while by pressing down the button marked p the corresponding third is struck, that is, the strikers attached to lever q are actuated. The construction both of the direct acting strikers in the treble, and of those for the bass is according to the well known art of piano-manufacture, and the details need not therefore be here described.

By reference to Fig. 4, it will be seen that the key lever t above mentioned presses upwardly the adjacent end of the supplemental lever t and this latter has connection with the octave bar These levers are arranged longitudinally of the key board and as shown on the left of Fig. 2 this system of levers enables the bass keys to be located at one point on the board and at the same time an effect- -IOO ive and simple oonneetion @an be made With the chords at derent distances therefrom. In all ceses Without regard to the position of the chord the chord bar x can be given a direct Vertical movement through the action of the supplemental lever t and the direct oonneetion therefrom to the chord bar.

Having" noW described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isn

A chord key board for attachment over the ordinary piano key board comprising the supporting board, the chord bers x having stril ers for striking the keys of the bess, the key 

